Massachusetts, Franklin County, Greenfield
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A military commander during King Phillip's war. Capt. Turner was killed near here in a retreat after leading a massacre of Indians fishing at the Great Falls of the Conn. River in Gill on May 19, 1676.
(Colonial Era • Notable Events) Includes location, directions, 1 photo, GPS coordinates, map.
A military commander during King Phillip's war. Capt. Turner was killed near here in a retreat after leading a massacre of Indians fishing at the Great Falls of the Conn. River in Gill on May 19, 1676.(Colonial Era • Notable Events) Includes location, directions, 1 photo, GPS coordinates, map.
On this spot hostile Indians had their first encounter December 8, 1620, old style, with Myles Standish, John Carver, William Bradford, John Tilley, Edward Winslow, John Howland, Edward Tilley, Richard Warren, Stephen Hopkins, Edward Dotey, John Allerton, Thomas English, Master Mate Clark, Master Gunner Copin, and three sailors of the Mayflower Company
Near this site the Nauset tribe of the Wampanoag nation, seeking to protect themselves and their culture, had their first encounter, 8 december 1620, with Myles Standish, John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, John Tilley, Edward Tilley, John Howland, Richard Warren, Stephen Hopkins, Edward Dotey, John Allerton, Thomas English, Master Mate Clark, Master Gunner Copin and three sailors of the Mayflower company.
In honor of those who served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America to preserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
King Cemetery
Joe McKamie alerted Fontana Historical Society about Camp. Ora Scott provided interest free loan of $10,000 and City of Fontana gave down payment of $3,000 to save house. Society acquired ownership title to house on November 22, 1978. Restoration performed thru donations and federal block grants from 1977 to 1980.
Named in honor of Major George Montague Wheeler (1832-1909) who for ten years led a party of surveyors and Naturalists collecting geologic, biologic, planimetric, and topographic data in New Mexico and six other southwestern states.
Cajon Pass, separating the San Bernardino and San Gabriel ranges has long been an important natural gateway. It is traversed by Indian trails, emigrant routes, railroads, and a superhighway. Early in the nineteenth century it became the southern end of the Old Spanish or Salt Lake (Mormon) Trail. In the 1840s it was the scene of massive horse-stealing raids led by Indians and renegade mountain men, in which as many as 5000 head at one time were driven eastward. The Mormon pioneers who founded San Bernardino in 1851 traveled this route. In 1861 John Brown built a 12-mile toll road through the pass. It connected with the Van Dusen Road, providing improved access to the booming mining settlements in Holcomb Valley. The lower end of Cajon Pass consists of a huge alluvial deposit two miles wide. About five miles above Devore is a narrow gorge eroded by Cajon Creek known as Blue Cut, also called Lower Narrows. A toll house for the Brown Road was located nearby. This became the logical path for the railroad, which came in 1885. it was also the routhe of Old Highway 66. The construction of Interstate 15 has largely removed this once familiar landmark from the public eye.
In 1926 Smiley Place was built by Dr. Harry W. Smiley. It served as the first medical office in Indio, as well as a residence for he and his wife, Frances. The Smiley's made significant contributions to the social and medical development of the Indio community.
This community long served as a supply point and railhead for the mines of Death Valley and Calico. In the early 1880's the first borax produced in Death Valley was hauled by mule team to the Atlantic & Pacific R.R. (later the Santa Fe) at Daggett. The station formerly Calico, was established in 1882 to service the silver mines, but was soon renamed for Lt. Gov. John Daggett. In 1888 it was connected to Calico by the narrow gauge Calico R.R. Silver prices dropped in the early 1890's and the mines closed. At this time rich borax deposits were being worked at nearby Borate. 20 mule teams hauled the borax to Daggett for rail shipment. An era ended in 1898 when the famous teams were replaced by the Borate & Daggett R.R. By 1907 borax mining had ceased in favor of richer deposits near Death Valley.
Amboy Crater, formed of ash and cinders, is 250 feet high and 1500 feet in diameter. The crater is in one of the youngest volcanic fields in the United States. Six distinct periods of eruptions created the resulting nested group of volcanic cinder cones encompassing 24 square miles. Volcanic activity started an estimated 6000 years ago with the last period of eruptions occuring as recently as 500 years ago. Amboy Crater's recent origin and its near-perfect shape led to its designation as a National Natural Landmark in 1975. Climb to the rim of the crater to see an outstanding view of the associated lava field and surrounding desert area.
Three miles north lies the Mojave River and the site of Forks of the Road. This was the junction of two major travel routes: The Old Spanish or Salt Lake Trail and The Ancient Mojave River Trail. In the 1830s and 1840s the Old Spanish Trail saw regular trade caravans from Santa Fe, bound for Los Angeles via Cajon Pass. The founding of Salt Lake City in 1847 and Mormon San Bernardino in 1851 brought renewed traffic, as did limited numbers of 49ers during the Gold Rush. The Mohave River Trail was an ancient trade route between the Native American tribes of the Colorado River and the California Coast. In 1849 it became the basis for a military road linking Fort Mojave in Arizona with Drum Barracks in Los Angeles. This is now commonly known as the Mojave Road. Never a specific spot, the Forks of the Road is better understood as a large braided network of individual tracks.
3 1/2 miles east of this point lies Ballarat. Established in 1897 as a mining camp and supply center for the gold and silver mines located on the western slope of the Panamint Mountains. It was named after a well-known gold producing area in Australia. Boasting a population of nearly 500, it had a Wells Fargo Station, post office, school, jail, morgue, 3 hotels and 7 saloons. When the Ratcliff Mine suspended operations in 1905, Ballarat began to rapidly decline. After the post office closed in September of 1917 Ballarat became a ghost town.
Warren's Well marks the beginning of the town of Yucca Valley. Mark "Chuck" Warren drove freight wagons through the vally and settled here about 1880. In 1881 he hand-dug the well and later built a windmill, water trough, barn and a small cabin. Warren's Well became a stage stop, a "watering hole" for cattle ranchers, and the center of social life for early settlers. The cabin burned in 1929 and was replaced by the adobe house still standing to the north of the well. Dr. John Bendall, known as the flying doctor, acquired the site in the 1950s and modified the adobe for his own use. The well is presently owned by the hi-desert water district.
The Pico House was built by Pio Pico, last Governor of California under Mexican rule, who lived almost the entire length of the nineteenth century from 1801 to 1894. This was the first three story building and the first grand hotel in Los Angeles. Pico chose architect Ezra F. Kysor to design the "finest hotel in Los Angeles." To raise funds for the building and furnishing of the hotel, Pio and his brother Andres sold most of their vast landholdings in the San Fernando Valley. Construction began on September 18, 1869, and the hotel opened for business on June 9, 1870.
The Merced Theatre was built in 1870 and is one of the oldest structures erected in Los Angeles for the presentation of dramatic performances. It served as the center of theatrical activity in the city from 1871 to 1876. The theatre was built by William Abbot, the son of Swiss immigrants who settled in Los Angeles in 1854. In 1858, he married the woman for whom he would name the theatre, Maria Merced Garcia, the daughter of Jose Antonio Garcia and Maria Guadalupe Uribe, who were long-time residents of the Los Angeles pueblo.
This marker locates the site near which the Indians and early California settlers came to obtain their salt, which at many times was more valuable than gold.
